Jesse James Dupree is the lead singer of Jackyl, a metal band from Kennesaw, Ga., that's performing Friday at Bogart's. Jackyl was formed back in 1990 and have given their audience eight studio albums along with two live offerings. Their biggest success came with their self-titled first studio album which went platinum in 1992.

Cincinnati Metropole to open in new 21c Museum Hotel later this year

Downtown Cincinnati continues to put itself on the dining map as Metropole, a farm-to-table restaurant and rooftop bar, will open in the old Metropole hotel on Walnut Street in late 2012. As part of a larger project, Cincinnati's Metropole will be located inside 21c Museum Hotel's 160-room hotel and contemporary art museum.

21c Museum Hotel's flagship hotel was founded in 2006 in Louisville, Ky. by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, contemporary art collectors who had a vision for bringing art into people's lives and supporting the revitalization of American cities.

In keeping with the founders' mission, Cincinnati's urban developers 3CDC and 21c Museum Hotel are partnering to revitalize the historical 1912, 10-story Metropole hotel into a unique place to view cutting edge contemporary art.

In its 8,000 square feet of exhibition space, there will be meeting and event area presenting rotating curated exhibits, dynamic public art installations and cultural programs. The exhibition space will be open to the public free of charge.

Along with preserving the city's historic building, the restaurant will emphasize the city's old world roots in its menu. Under Chef Michael Paley's direction, Metropole will focus on dishes with local ingredients cooked in a custom-built hearth. Chef Paley has been the executive chef at Louisville's award-winning Proof on Main since it opened.

“After opening Garage Bar, our wood-fired pizzeria in Louisville last year, I was inspired to create a menu that is cooked almost entirely by wood-fired heat,” Chef Paley says. “Our menu at Metropole will reflect Cincinnati’s rich, European-based culinary heritage, and I am thrilled to introduce our custom-built hearth as the focal point of the restaurant and the menu.”

Working closely with local farmers and artisanal producers, Chef Paley is developing a menu focusing on string roasted meats, ash-cooked vegetables, house-made charcuterie and more. The beverage menu which can be enjoyed in the restaurant or while overlooking the city on the rooftop bar, which will favor craft beers and bourbon.

Metropole will have a completely different menu from Proof on Main but it will still have the same goal — to focus on and serve fresh and local sustainable food. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks and drinks.

Legendar rocker to perform 'Thick as a Brick' and more at PNC Pavilion Saturday

Jethro Tull's unique sound — which eloquently combines
Rock, Blues, and Classical music — continues to outlast Father Time and
thrill legions of dedicated fans. Leader/singer/Rock flautist
extraordinaire Ian Anderson performs the classic Tull album Thick as a Brick (and more, including Thick as a Brick II) at Riverbend's PNC Pavilion Saturday night at 8 p.m., continuing the legacy of Tull’s self-proclaimed “music for grown-ups.”

CityBeat was able to speak with Anderson this week about protests, social issues and his thoughts on performance art.

CityBeat: Why did decide to bring the flute to Rock music?

Ian Anderson: When I was a young aspiring guitar
player in my late teens I became aware of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and
Richard Blackmore, who were the hot-shot guitar players down in London,
and I decided maybe I should switch from guitar and find something else
to play. The shiny precision of the flute, the ergonomics, the design,
the manufacture — it’s kind of like a Swiss watch. It appeals to my
sense of physics and engineering. For a particularly good reason, other
than the way it looks, I decided I would give that a go. I learned to
play it by trying to imitate the lines I played on guitar — solos and
rifts. So I became the flute player in a Blues band and I was the only flute player in a Blues band, which gave me the difference that helped Jethro Tull stand out from the crowd.

CB: One of my favorites on Thick as a Brick II is “Adrift and Dumbfounded.” Can you tell me a little bit of the story behind that song or how it came about?

IA: Having been picketed a couple nights ago in
Kansas City by the Westboro Church, the “Godhatesfags.com” people … I am
seen as a fag-hyphen-enabler according to that unworthy organization. I
don’t think I am a homosexual, but I am a supporter of gay rights and a
lot of my friends and people close to me are gay people and I find that
the prejudices and difficulties faced by young people, particularly in
post-puberty, where they are sometimes questioning their gender and
their physiology because some people are just born that way … so, it is a
difficult time for relationships with parents and for society around
you.

It’s difficult now. Back in the ’60s, it was really scary.
So at the time when homosexuality wasn’t just a predilection but an
actual crime, punishable by the courts by incarceration, being gay was a
difficult position for any young person to be in, so I decided I would
write a parent’s perspective of what that may be like — to lose a child
through lack of communication and understanding with the parental, to
lose that child to drugs and to, essentially, male prostitution.

That is an extreme scenario but it happens out there in
the world. These are issues that face society today. These are issues
that have faced society throughout the history of mankind. These days I
suppose we are more able to talk about it and to examine the
possibilities themselves. I always have to think when I was 15 years old
and a little unsure of myself, maybe that could have happened to me. I
try to use some of my personal history with my parents, with the lack of
communication, particular on matters of sex. I try to extrapolate a
little on my own limited experiences in that world.

CB: The Westboro Baptist Church never ceases to amaze me. How did you handle it that day?

IA: I was rather hoping to see them in the flesh.
Unfortunately, I had my spies out. I had my spies out to try to keep an
eye out because I tried to get a photograph opportunity with these
people. Unfortunately, at the time, I guess they showed up when the
audience was coming in or going out. When the audience is coming in, I
am busy in my dressing room changing and tuning up my guitar.
Afterwards, I am busy changing again and packing up my instruments.
Unfortunately, I did not get to see them. That is very disappointing. I
was really hoping to have the opportunity to have a nice smiling
photograph with them and their evil representatives.

CB: Why did you choose this tour to play the Thick as a Brick albums in their entireties?

IA: When you are planning any kind of stage show,
your first obligation is to keep it on a level that will engage people
and keep it interesting for them and present them with a lengthy piece
of musical work with a 15-minute intermission. You have to put your
thinking cap on and try to construct everything to keep the audience
with you, especially if you are playing a lot of music (with) which the
audience is unfamiliar, you have got to make it work the first time
around. It is not the result of hearing it many times so you have to
make it a piece of working entertainment.

It seems to be successful because I have yet to see, when I
go onto the second half of the show, any empty seats as a result of
people leaving at halftime. Normally people stay until the end of the
show and they seem to follow the momentum of the whole show. You get a
personal sense of achievement when you present a large amount of
relatively unknown music and you keep people engaged and enjoying the
stage.

I don’t think many bands would attempt to do that. I can
afford to do it because, a) I am prepared to take more risks musically
and, b) I am really kind of doing it for me more than I am doing it for
the audience anyway. I have always been a musician who has gone out
there to make myself happy. You have to really have your own personal
goals you achieve every night in performance. Primarily, I will say, it
is nice you folks are here as well, but if you weren’t here, I would be
doing this anyway. I am just doing this for fun.

CB: You have seen music change in the way it is recorded over many decades. Do you think it sounds better or worse today?

IA: Music has evolved in the terms of recording
techniques over a period of about 60 years, hugely. It goes back to the
early stages of monophonic and stereophonic tape recorders, which is
what it was when I was a teenager.

When it got to the mid-’60s, it was becoming possible to
create the simplest multi-track recordings, usually using two-track
recorders, but bouncing back between the two to get a four-track sound.
The very first Beatles recordings were made that way. By the time they
got to Sgt. Pepper, they were recording with four-track and shortly on the heels of that came eight-track.

The first album I recorded was done on eight-track in
1968. That quickly evolved into 16-track and then to the most often used
standard of 24-track, which continued through the late ’80s and even in
some cases into the ’90s.

Frankly, the digital age really came about not in the ’80s
or the ’90s but in the last 10 years, because that technology began to
support 24-bit audio recording, which effectively mimics the human
hearing to detect the difference between that and the original audio
signal. We have 24-bit 96k recording, which is essentially all we need.
We don’t need to advance upon that standard. We’d have to grow new ears
before we could benefit any further resolution of earlier technology.

It is the same thing as when cameras hit the 10 mega-pixel
mark … essentially equal (to) the very best film quality of film
cameras in the last 50 or 60 or 70 years. We have now fairly commonly
cameras that will deliver resolutions of 24 megapixels, which will be
essentially much better quality you or my eye could fully appreciate.

We are there with audio and visual. We have now reached,
during these last four or five years, human physiology would have to
change for us to benefit from any increase of the resolution of the
technology we are working with now. It is as good as it needs to be. We
are there. We are done. We have reached the limit in terms of audio
recording and digital recording.

CB: Was there a single incident that changed how you approached music?

IA: Well, I suppose a single incident was the first
moment I played notes on a musical instrument, because I was aware as a
small child of music as church music and music of Big Band Wartime
Jazz, which my Father played on 78-rpm records.

It wasn’t until I was 9 years old and I acquired for a
couple of dollars a plastic Elvis Presley ukulele and I strummed my
first simple chord on the ukulele. At that point, even though the
instrument was a rubbish piece, I could actually strum some little
chords and sing along with it, and that was the magic moment of making
music the first time.

I suppose that was the single most important moment of
discovering music. There are a lot of people who never learn to play
anything on a musical instrument and I feel like they are missing out on
something. But some of them might be bungee jumpers and they feel like I
am missing out on something, because I haven’t thrown myself off a
bridge attached to a long piece of elastic.

CB: What is your ideal day look like these days?

IA: It depends if I’m on tour. My ideal day is to
wake up around 7 a.m. and be driving rather than flying and getting to
another city, another hotel by lunchtime, finding a Red Lobster or
McCormack & Schmidt and (eating) some seafood or that sort for lunch
and then having a rest and getting my e-mails in the afternoon before
going to sound check.

That’s kind of normal practice. If I am at home, I wake up
a little earlier, usually around 6:30 a.m. and I usually, again because
of working in different time zones, it’s a good time to check e-mails
from last night, generally prepare, shower, play with the cats, let the
dogs out. If it’s the weekends, I have to go and feed the chickens.

In my ideal world, it would be a mixture of sitting at my
office desk, playing a little bit of music and having a little bit of
time to walk around the garden and sit and talk to my cats.

CB: What is the biggest difference in touring in 2013 versus 1970?

IA: The biggest difference is you can take a little
stress (out) as you are touring easily because of more organization.
Twenty years ago and 40 years ago, travel was a lot more disorganized
that it is today. We can now be planning the next tour while we are
doing this one.

Later today and tomorrow morning when I have a little time
off, I shall be booking some internal U.S. flights for the next tour,
looking at the various cities and suggesting to my U.S. travel agent
some hotels I would like to get quotes on. Generally speaking, doing
that planning exercise, when it comes to doing the tour itself,
hopefully everything is in place. Everybody knows where everybody will
be on most hours on most days.

You can take the stress out of things these days, where it
was not so easy many years ago. We had to employ tour managers and
people to carry our bags and people to herd us like sheep through
airports. These days, people have their virtual boarding pass, which
they can collect online from the booking reference code, which was on
the tour itinerary, and they can print out their own boarding pass and
head straight to the gate. I think things are easier these days, not
because of the level of security we face now that we didn’t face 40
years ago, even 20 years ago. That makes lines a little more stressful
and perhaps a little longer in the course of the day. We allow for two
hours at airports from flight times to be safe these days, not knowing
how long security queues may be or what indignities we may have to
suffer to keep ourselves safe from the bad guys.

CB: Do you have any fond or crazy Cincinnati tour memories from the past?

IA: Probably with a Holiday Inn, Hilton or a
Marriott or two. My bonds tend to be with what my particular life throws
at me. The airport, even after all these years, is strangely familiar. I
have been tracking the evolution of the airport from the late ’70s —
when we were accosted by the children of God, doing their evangelical
work, trying to hand out bibles and stuff — all the way to today.
Airports quite often have that sense of déjà vu, even that nostalgic
memory for me — certain hotels, certain venues of course, iconic venues
we still play today.

CB: What was your favorite live performance ever?

IA: It is probably the show in an American venue
near Washington D.C. called Wolf Trap. It is my favorite because it is
the one I am going to be doing tomorrow and the one I have to focus on
and prepare for.

Past shows are in the past. I don’t dwell on those. I
don’t have favorites. I don’t have preferences, except for a couple
iconic venues, as I suggested. My favorite show is the one I am about to
go out and attempt to do because I always have to think it could be my
last. Walking on stage is not a God-given right; it is a privilege to be
able to step out there into the spotlight another time. I just take
each show as they come. My next show is always the best show of my life.

CB: What can the fans expect here in Cincinnati this weekend?

IA: They can expect all they like, but it won’t
vary one iota in delivery to them. Their expectation may be many and may
be varied, but we try to make a point of emphasis to play Brick 1 and then Brick 2, then a long call of classic repertoire.

We have a very tightly organized show. If anybody starts
shouting out during the quiet moments of the show, they will be
studiously ignored. I don’t even have time to admonish them. It happened
to me last night when I came on stage, I was astonished to hear two
female voices shouting at me in one of the spoken words sections with a
delivery of theatrical passion. You wouldn’t be considered cultured to
be shouting and whistling during a Shakespeare play — please don’t shout
and whistle during the performance of mine because I am here to do the
work. You are here to listen and if you don’t like it get up and leave.
Don’t start interrupting me.

Once in a while you get a drunkard out there that gets to
shout at your band, but it happens so rarely these days and it strikes
me as so being incredibly curious. I think our audiences do understand
this is not a regular Rock show but a theatrical presentation (for
which) they have to sit and let me do the work. That’s what I am there
for. I may be 66 years old but I am there to do a man’s work for two and
a half hours, where you can sit back and, if necessary, bring yourself a
comfy cushion and maybe a sandwich because it is a long show.

An Illinois-based organization dropped its defamation lawsuit this month against local blogger Jason Haap and two other critics. The two-year-old case was widely viewed as having the potential to set a precedent involving First Amendment protections for online commentary.

A couple of weeks ago, local indie publishing house Aurore Press released a book featuring memories and essays by people involved with the seminal local Punk club The Jockey Club. Stories for Shorty was feted with an in-store party at Shake It Records and a "Jockey Club Reunion" at the Southgate House, with reunited sets by The Thangs, The Reduced and SS-20 (who are still playing shows but were reportedly joined by original guitarist Pete Sturdevant). Check out some pics from the event here and be sure to pick up a book (while they last) to get a great impression of what Punk Rock was like in the Cincinnati area in the 1980s.

I missed my chance to put a submission in for the book, but I still wanted to write a few words about a club (and musical style) that meant a lot to my musical upbringing.

Williams out after three years, 'Enquirer' publisher/UC board member doesn't know why

University of Cincinnati President Greg
Williams stepped down yesterday. According to reports, Williams
walked into a UC Board of Trustees meeting, announced he was resigning effective
immediately and left.

Greg Hand, spokesperson for UC, said Williams resigned for “personal reasons.” No further explanation was provided by Williams.

Santa Ono, UC provost, is taking over temporarily as
interim president. In a tweet, he promised to give the university 150
percent.

Williams was at UC since 2009. A year after
arriving, he introduced his UC2019 plan. The plan seeks to make the
university into a top school by 2019. The plan also implied Williams had
long-term plans for UC, making his abrupt resignation even stranger.

The Board of Trustees seemed happy with Williams — at
least happy enough to give him a raise. On Sept. 20, 2011, the Board gave
Williams a $41,000 raise, bringing his salary up to $451,000. He also
got a $102,500 bonus.

The news took UC students by surprise. Lane Hart, student body president at UC, told the school's independent student newspaper, The News Record, he was “shocked” when he heard the news.

To give credit where credit is due, when The CincinnatiEnquirer first reported the story, the newspaper mentioned that Margaret Buchanan, president and publisher at TheEnquirer, is on the UC Board of Trustees. However, TheEnquirer
did not mention asking Buchanan about the resignation — an omission
that raised questions for Jim Romenesko, a popular journalism blogger.
Since then, TheEnquirer emailed Romenesko saying Buchanan did not know any extra information.

Sometimes as nicely as you'd like to put things it is hard to maintain a professional, calm and reserved style when communicating about it. When Reds announcers and many others described Shea stadium as "a dump" when it was limping in the direction of euthanasia, I knew what they meant but didn't agree that it was that terrible.

Young Opera trio comes to PNC Pavilion Friday night

Il Volo — the popular Italian Opera trio from Sicily — features three teens with tenor voices so strong, they got America’s attention after one of the best guest performances in the history of American Idol, singing "O Sole Mio" last year. They formed in 2009 and were received very well in their native country, performing with some of the biggest international superstars in their short history. The group consists of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble. They are now set for their second U.S. tour which comes through Cincinnati tomorrow (Friday) night.

Il Volo is produced by long time industry veteran Tony Renis, who discovered the boys two years ago along with Grammy-winning producer Humberto Gatica (Michael Bublé, Josh Groban and Celine Dion).

CityBeat caught up with Gianluca Ginoble this week by phone to discuss his love of touring and how much he enjoys getting to do what he loves every day. He is just learning English but was able to provide a little insight into to the band’s grueling tour schedule. Check out Il Volo at Riverbend's PNC Pavilion on Friday.

CityBeat: I know you were introduced to opera from family members growing up in Italy. How important is family tradition to you?

Gianluca Ginoble: My family is the most important thing because my Grandpa is my inspiration. It was him that introduced me to this kind of music. But I love others as well, like Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra. I love Opera, but I also I love other kinds of music too. To me family is the most important thing.

CB: You guys are going to start a long tour being away from home. Is it hard being on the road being away from friends and family or what is the hardest part for you?

GG: When I am home, I can’t wait to do another tour because this is now my life. For me, it is like funny work because this is my passion. I am doing what I love to do, but when I am on tour I can’t wait to come back to my house and my home because I miss the family, my Grandpa. My Grandma died six months ago and for me it was an amazing pain. He was very important for me.

CB: I am sorry to hear that. Are there any places on the tour in the United States that you are specifically looking forward to playing, the location or the venue?

GG: Yes, yes, yes. My favorite city is Los Angeles. New York as well, but Los Angeles is the city of the dreams and the star, the Walk of Fame, the Oscars. For me it is the best city.

CB: What has been your rehearsal process for the tour? What has that been like for you?

GG: We have prepared with eight or nine hour rehearsals daily.

CB: Every day?

GG: Yes, because this is our first concert and we are preparing. When we have the soundcheck before the concert it is just 20 minutes or 30 minute,s so we have major rehearsals to get ready.

CB: How do you take care of your voices?

GG: Yes always, our voices are the most important thing.

CB: Do you ever see the band crossing over to pop music or do you think you will stay with Opera?

GG: I don’t know. We are open to many things. We did an American tour and it was wonderful, amazing because there were teenagers everywhere and in the U.S., in Miami, Los Angeles, New York and this is beautiful because it was our goal and this is a dream come true.

CB: Where do you see yourself or the band in 10 more years?

GG: I don’t know. I hope all this can continue in this way but life is unpredictable.

CB: What is your favorite song to sing and perform?

GG: "Smile," a Charlie Chaplin song.

CB: What can the fans look forward to in Cincinnati at the show?

GG: It is going to be a very beautiful show with more surprises. We have changed some things and I think it is going to be amazing. We have three new songs, which are a surprise.

If you still want to find that particular item that is unique but is maybe from a local or up-and-coming designer and is of high quality, Cincinnati has quite a few options for you to peruse. If you so choose, use the following as a guide to help you along your way!

New brewing company opens May 17

Cincinnati has a rich brewing history,
plain and simple. And if you haven’t been living in a hole for the
past couple of years you know that. So it should be of no surprise
that someone would take a piece of that history back home with them.

That’s exactly what 25-year-old
Daytonite and founder of The Dayton Beer Company, Peter Hilgeman,
did. “I have always been interested in beer, but my interest really
peaked when I worked at The Party Source during college,” Hilgeman
says.

Hilgeman, a 2009 University of
Cincinnati graduate, spent some of his time working across the river
at The Party Source in Covington, which for many is considered to be
the local mecca for beer and spirits.

“Living in Cincinnati definitely
inspired me to brew beer and open up a brewery in my hometown of
Dayton,” he says. “Cincinnati and Dayton have amazing brewing
traditions and I truly love the history that both cities share with
regards to their brewing.

“I really wanted to restore that
brewing tradition not only for Dayton, but throughout Southwest
Ohio."

Hilgeman also spent five months
traveling throughout Europe honing his pallet for exceptional beers
from around the world.

With names like Patterson Pale Ale,
Inventors IPA and Hawthorn Hill Hefeweizen, Hilgeman wanted to make
something that Dayton could call its own and the Queen City could
also be proud of.

“My goal for The Dayton Beer Comapy
is simple. I want to provide people with great-tasting beer that they
really love drinking and to help them learn about the great brewing
traditions Dayton and Cincinnati have to offer,” Hilgeman says. “I
want to be thoroughly involved in the community and give back
whenever and wherever possible."

Hilgeman plans to have his beer
available in a few bar locations in Mount Adams. “I hope that the
Queen City will be able to have a few Dayton Beer Company beers in
the next month or two,” Hilgeman says. “ I also intend to expand
throughout Ohio and eventually to other states as well, but with our
roots firmly entrenched in Southwest Ohio.”

The Dayton Beer Co. is set to opens its
doors at 912 E. Dorothy Lane, Kettering, Thursday, May 17. The
tasting room will be open Wednesday-Saturday until 10 p.m. Check out
www.thedaytonbeerco.com for more information.